There are some awesome sounding 12SL7 to be had, but not surprisingly quality differs a lot. Also measured distortion with FFT if I remember correctly.
@@airgead5391 yes there are some truly amazing NOS vintage 12SL7's still available. In our listening tests the Sylvania's rule! They have a warm/rich sound and excellent detail. And yes they do have more 2nd harmonic distortion, but in a phono preamp that's exactly what you want.
Awesome! So if I got you correctly I can put the 6N6P directly into my universal phono with the 9pin to octal adapter you sell, without any mods under the hood? Also, will you do a video or test on the different versions of the 6N6P's available?
@@rasmus.O.B correct, the build of the CF stage in your Universal Phono is identical. Now the operation of the 6N6P is going to be different, with a slightly higher current draw, but in our experience the CF stage benefits from higher current and that discovery lead us to trying a high current tube like the 6N6P. What you'll probably notice right away is a nice improvement in the bass frequencies and even better clarity. At this level of sonic performance, we always thought the most we could achieve with a circuit revision was a very small improvement - but clearly we were wrong! The 6N6P was really only made in quantity by one Soviet factory (NEVZ). I think with the rare early Foton type and the -I type we have a total of only 3-4 options. Not a very interesting video! The good news is the commonly available NEVZ 6N6P sounds amazing in every circuit we've tried it.
@@NicoRas-e9m Speculation is something you do when choosing a stock to buy, and doesn't describe our work or reviews. Both of us work professionally in audio and we spend a significant amount of time critically listening to gear we've designed. We back up our subjective listening tests with complete schematics, specifications, sound clips and very detailed sweeps. Not convinced that you can build your own audiophile grade preamp? Just drop in on any Kit we sell and read the reviews.
@@PINKFL0YD-s2h Haha obviously not a Jazz fan! "In a mellow tone" is something great band leaders like Dizzy Gillespie would call out when they want to chill down the music, a lot like the sound of Pink Floyd. And talking about The Floyd, our tube gear all sounds amazing when we're playing our original first UK quad of DSOTM.
Came here trying to find the answer after seeing the schematic: Why is there a 'lytic capacitor from the positive to negative of the filament supply on version three? Thanks, Adriel
@@adrielrowley The 1000uf 50v electrolytic capacitor across the smps dc input is a filter, it shunts anything above dc to ground, making a very low noise dc filament supply.
Great news - thanks, guys! I'm really interested in this phono preamp...
this one looks real nice.
There are some awesome sounding 12SL7 to be had, but not surprisingly quality differs a lot. Also measured distortion with FFT if I remember correctly.
@@airgead5391 yes there are some truly amazing NOS vintage 12SL7's still available. In our listening tests the Sylvania's rule! They have a warm/rich sound and excellent detail. And yes they do have more 2nd harmonic distortion, but in a phono preamp that's exactly what you want.
@@mellowtoneamps4932 I have a few of Tung Sol dark glass NOS: they sound totally awesome.
Awesome! So if I got you correctly I can put the 6N6P directly into my universal phono with the 9pin to octal adapter you sell, without any mods under the hood? Also, will you do a video or test on the different versions of the 6N6P's available?
@@rasmus.O.B correct, the build of the CF stage in your Universal Phono is identical. Now the operation of the 6N6P is going to be different, with a slightly higher current draw, but in our experience the CF stage benefits from higher current and that discovery lead us to trying a high current tube like the 6N6P. What you'll probably notice right away is a nice improvement in the bass frequencies and even better clarity. At this level of sonic performance, we always thought the most we could achieve with a circuit revision was a very small improvement - but clearly we were wrong!
The 6N6P was really only made in quantity by one Soviet factory (NEVZ). I think with the rare early Foton type and the -I type we have a total of only 3-4 options. Not a very interesting video! The good news is the commonly available NEVZ 6N6P sounds amazing in every circuit we've tried it.
@@mellowtoneamps4932 Thanks! appreciate all the content you guys provide!
Perfect, I was planning on building a phono pre amp as my next project! Hope to get to test this soon!
what do you guys think of the 6BL7 as cathode follower?
It sounds better? I don't understand, better than what. Sonic improvement from what? Just speculation.
@@NicoRas-e9m Speculation is something you do when choosing a stock to buy, and doesn't describe our work or reviews. Both of us work professionally in audio and we spend a significant amount of time critically listening to gear we've designed. We back up our subjective listening tests with complete schematics, specifications, sound clips and very detailed sweeps. Not convinced that you can build your own audiophile grade preamp? Just drop in on any Kit we sell and read the reviews.
Mellow tone huh? Must be for smooth jazz..
@@PINKFL0YD-s2h Haha obviously not a Jazz fan! "In a mellow tone" is something great band leaders like Dizzy Gillespie would call out when they want to chill down the music, a lot like the sound of Pink Floyd. And talking about The Floyd, our tube gear all sounds amazing when we're playing our original first UK quad of DSOTM.
Came here trying to find the answer after seeing the schematic: Why is there a 'lytic capacitor from the positive to negative of the filament supply on version three?
Thanks,
Adriel
@@adrielrowley The 1000uf 50v electrolytic capacitor across the smps dc input is a filter, it shunts anything above dc to ground, making a very low noise dc filament supply.
Thank you Jim for the lesson, it is appreciated.
Cheers,
Adriel